Should We Find A Second Form Of

Astonishingly, In Spite Of Decades Of Research, There Is No Agreed Theory Of Cancer, No Explanation For Why, Inside Almost All Healthy Cells, There Lurks A Highly Efficient Cancer Subroutine That Can Be Activated By A Variety Of Agents - Radiation, Chemicals, Inflammation And Infection.

A Permanent Base On Mars Would Have A Number Of Advantages Beyond Being A Bonanza For Planetary Science And Geology. If, As Some Evidence Suggests, Exotic Micro-organisms Have Arisen Independently Of Terrestrial Life, Studying Them Could Revolutionise Biology, Medicine And Biotechnology.

The Vast Majority Of Terrestrial Species Are In Fact Microbes, And Scientists Have Only Begun Scratching The Surface Of The Microbial Realm. It Is Entirely Possible That Examples Of Life As We Don't Know It Have So Far Been Overlooked.

In 1911 The Little Town Of Nakhla In Egypt Was The Scene Of One Of The Most Remarkable Events In Historym When A Chunk Of Rock Fell From The Sky And Killed A Dog. This Is The Only Known Canine Fatality Caused By A Cosmic Object. Improbably Though This Encounter Was Already, Its Truly Extraordinary Nature Was Revealed Only Decades Later When Scientists Found That The Culprit Was Not A Common-or-garden Meteorite, But A Piece Of The Planet Mars.

Clearly, Some Creative Thinking Is Badly Needed If Humans Are To Have A Future Beyond Earth. Returning To The Moon May Be Worthy And Attainable, But It Fails To Capture The Public's Imagination. What Does Get People Excited Is The Prospect Of A Mission To Mars.